I wrote about this campaign in 2015. I wish it had not been contaminated and instead had continued. Why do some people feel threatened or challenged by something created to be positive? In my original post I did include all the image files. I'm just adding one to this post. There are just too many for one post.

The site is Go Make it Happy. I was happy seeing a big, consumer oriented company like CocaCola using ASCII art. Even though it’s computer generated – there is a wonderfully large amount of it.

If I were a more sane person I would have split these into several posts. Instead I have left them all (over 90 image files) below the “read more” line. I wanted to not only share them all but, preserve them all too. So this is an archive of the ASCII art I found on the CocaCola Make it Happy site. It’s possible they will add more. I wish I knew. I’d like to see it all saved. Campaigns like this tend to last like a fad and then disappear. I’d like to see the ASCII art survive.

I have a few favourites and I thought to just post those. But, how could I show all the full dorkiness and fun of the collection. Some of it reminds me of the old movies advertising hot dogs and popcorn at the drive-in movies.

Update about the Make It Happy Campaign

Coca-Cola has pulled its #MakeItHappy brand campaign, which it introduced during the Super Bowl, after being tricked by pop culture blog Gawker.

The campaign aimed to dispel negative comments on the Internet by enabling users to tag negative comments with #MakeItHappy, which Coca-Cola then turned into cute, happy pictures using ASCII lettering code.

Coca-Cola responded to this debacle with a statement: “It’s unfortunate that Gawker is trying to turn this campaign into something that it isn’t. Building a bot that attempts to spread hate through #MakeItHappy is a perfect example of the pervasive online negativity Coca-Cola wanted to address with this campaign.”

I remember when all this was going on. It was sad to see what Gawker thought was clever, smart, bold, attention grabbing, whatever. Gawker did not last long after that. Was the Coca-Cola thing part of that... maybe?

I miss when the Internet used to be like a club, a friendly collection of people sharing assorted information. Not for profit, just because they wanted to share what was interesting to them and likely useful to others.

I still find old sites, usually pretty forgotten or neglected, which were created without thoughts about marketing information or resources. I trust information from those sites, though it may be outdated, it isn't created to prey on my credit card.

You aren't likely to find personal home page and hobbies sites now. AI is moving in too. You don't even know if a site is made by a human being any more. AI can only fake being friendly. I don't see how you can trust, or feel welcome, by that.

The club is gone. Its not on social media. Social media could have been the next club for the Internet. But, it isn't.

I miss that feeling of shared information and friendliness. It was welcoming. I haven't found that in awhile. Even in places where I do share art, information, ideas I have to be careful about what I post - think twice and post once.

These are two things I found in my old blog and decided to repost here. I don't have a source for either of them, originally posted in 2004. Quite awhile ago.

New Celestial Computer V!rus3s Detected

While the Hale-Bopp comet may not have any spaceships in its tail, it apparently has released several new celestial computer v!ruses into our galaxy. Initial reports indicate 12 such v!ruses have been detected. The following is a listing of the new v!ruses and their attributes:

The ARIES v!rus continuously creates new *.ini files, and repeatedly reboots your computer to initiate them.

The TAURUS v!rus automatically backs-up all files on your hard drive and prevents you from ever deleting any information or files.

The GEMINI v!rus opens any available communication software, logs on to the internet, and uses your web-browser to search for gossip about celebrities and politicians, starting a new search every 2 minutes.

The CANCER v!rus fills up your hard drive with cooking recipes, home repair tips, and old Dear Abby columns, and then installs a screen-saver that flashes 1-800 numbers for various 12-step programs across your screen.

The LEO v!rus announces its presence with a RealAudio roar (often followed by a QuickTime clip of the MGM lion if supported by your hardware) and proceeds to delete files from your hard drive to make room for the long list of computer systems it has conquered.

The VIRGO v!rus continuously eliminates any files or programs you haven't used for a month and defrags your hard drive every time you exit a program.

The LIBRA v!rus downloads from the internet any optional features it can find for your installed software, and installs pop-ups for each new feature that describe its pros and cons and asks whether you want it installed now or later.

The SCORPIO v!rus lurks in the background, surreptitiously downloading x-rated binary files every time you surf the net (now you know the real reason web-browsers are so slow!).

The SAGITTARIUS v!rus immediately begins searching your hard drive for the one true Source code, identifying and deleting all mere object code in its path.

The CAPRICORN v!rus constructs and continually updates a database of all information on your hard drive searchable by file name, creation date, file size, author's name (and last known address), subject, and Library of Congress classification code.

The AQUARIUS v!rus deletes all old versions of any software on your hard drive, and provides new wireless remote connection capability for obtaining the latest version of each program by FTP transfer.

The PISCES v!rus reconfigures your hard drive(s) to eliminate any artificial boundaries such as partitions, directories and files, and instead unites all software code in one universal string.

" Live Life Like A Computer "

If you messed up your life, you could press "Alt, Ctrl, Delete" and start all over!

To get your daily exercise, just click on "run"!

If you needed a break from life, click on "suspend". Hit "any key" to continue life when ready.

To get even with the neighbors, turn up the sound blaster.

To "add/remove" someone in your life, click settings and control panel.

To improve your appearance, just adjust the display settings.

If life gets too noisy, turn off the speakers.

When you lose your car keys, click on "find".

"Help" with the chores is just a click away.

You wouldn't need auto insurance. You'd use your diskette to recover from a crash.

We could click on "send" and the kids would go to bed immediately.

To feel like a new person, click on "refresh".

Click on "close" to shut up the kids and spouse.

To undo a mistake, click on "back".

Is your wardrobe getting old? Click "update".

If you don't like cleaning the litter box, click on "delete".

I've got two links to share:

• Markup Markdown
• HTML to Markdown Converter

Both have been great. The Markup Markdown plugin could use some tweaking. Mainly, the editing window does not keep the editing toolbar in view. So, if I need something I have to go all the way back up on my screen and then all the way back down again. Mostly this is when I'm typing in a URL, because it is still easier to have the software/ editor add the code than type it in myself (I don't always catch typos in the code when I do it myself).